Iowa to Get First Biomass-to-Ammonia Plant

SynGest Inc. has secured a site in Menlo, Iowa, to build what it says is the world’s first biomass-to-ammonia plant, to help supply the U.S.’s 18 million ton per year ammonia market. The San Francisco-based company has developed gasification and syngas technology to deploy in its first plant. The technology will be used to annually turn 150,000 tons of corncobs into 50,000 tons of anhydrous ammonia, which is enough to fertilize 500,000 acres of land.

The process involves a pressurized oxygen-blown biomass gasifier operating in an expanding bed fluidized mode. The company’s patent-pending HarvestGas system gasifies biomass into a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, and is optimized to minimize the formation of methane. After the gas stream is cleaned, the carbon monoxide portion is shifted to maximize hydrogen. The hydrogen is purified and catalytically reacted with nitrogen to make ammonia. The plant includes an air separation system to provide oxygen for the gasifier and pure nitrogen for ammonia synthesis.

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Eco-Sustainable City Plants Eco-Sustainable Feedstock

America’s first eco-sustainable city is taking its first steps toward sustainable energy.Among the city’s eco-friendly features is The Sustainable Energy Farm that produces power from biodiesel, ethanol, solar and wind sources for companies that contribute to sustainable industries, such as building solar panels. That energy park recently got a green boost when some sustainable feedstock sources… including jatropha, camelina, and new hybrids of sweet sorghum… were planted for study of the next generation of renewable and alternative fuel sources.

A new drip fertigation system, designed to reduce water waste, will be overseen by Treasure Coast Irrigation. The camelina, a new potential candidate in the biofuel market, and jatropha were planted by Bio Greens Oils USA.The Sustainable Energy Farm is also planning to grow arundo donax this spring for testing; arundo donax is a perennial grass, with potential yields of 30 to 35 tons of biomass per acre.

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FirstEnergy to Retrofit Coal Plant with Biomass

FirstEnergy Corp. plans to retrofit units 4 and 5 at its coal-fired R.E. Burger Plant in Ohio to generate power with biomass. The project will cost about $200 million and will not change the plant's current 312 MW capacity.

FirstEnergy said the project will feature a closed-loop system, using biomass derived from an energy crop grown specifically for use as a fuel source. This energy crop would act as a carbon sink, removing as much carbon dioxide from the environment when it is growing as it releases when it is burned. The company found that burning principally with biomass would produce lower emissions overall than retrofitting the plant with a scrubber.

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37 MW Biomass Power Plant Moves Ahead

Connecticut's environmental protection department denied a motion made by environmentalists to reconsider permits for a 37 MW wood-burning biomass power plant planned by Plainfield Renewable Energy. The Plainfield Project that will use lumber byproducts, wood pallets and recycled waste wood as feedstock. The plant will use a fluidized bed staged gasification system that generates steam to drive a conventional steam turbine generator.

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Camelina Production Down Sharply in 2008

The U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that Montana plantings of the biofuels crop camelina fell by almost half last year to 12,200 acres.

The crop, which grows well in Montana's dry climate because it needs little water, has been promoted as an ideal source of plant oils needed to make alternative fuels. Two companies operating in Montana had once projected millions of acres of camelina within the next several years.

The 46 percent decline in plantings in 2008 reflects the industry's troubles convincing farmers to convert their fields to the crop when wheat prices were hitting record highs.

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Biogas CHP : New Application of Biomass Gasification Technology From Nexterra

Nexterra Energy has announced a development programme to commercialize a new application of its biomass gasification technology to generate power and heat from small-scale plants.The 2-10 MW systems will employ technology that directly-fires biomass derived syngas in high efficiency gas engines.

This initiative follows two years of work by Nexterra to upgrade syngas made by gasifying biomass so that it meets the fuel specification of GE Jenbacher's internal combustion engines. GE has supported this work through its Jenbacher gas engine division. Once fully developed, Nexterra's gasification technology is planned to be combined with GE's Jenbacher gas engines to form modular biomass combined heat and power (CHP) plants.The scale of individual plants will range from 2-10 MW and will yield net efficiencies of up to 60% in cogeneration mode.

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New Trade Association To Promote Camelina As Energy Crop

Thirteen seed companies, processors and researchers of camelina have formed the first trade association focused on production and processing of the biofuel feedstock in North America.The North American Camelina Trade Association (NACTA) will work to promote research, production and the development of new markets for the relatively new energy crop.

Camelina sativa, also known as gold of pleasure or false flax, is a member of the mustard family and a distant relative to canola. It is a fast-growing, short-seasoned crop that requires less water and fewer inputs than many crops. Its high oil content and other properties make it a good fit for biodiesel production, and interest in the crop has grown significantly in recent years.The formation of the North American Camelina Trade Association is another important step in building a strong, sustainable foundation for camelina production in the U.S. and Canada.

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